


Crazy in Love

by CaptainScience



Category: Free!
Genre: Anal Sex, Catboys, Grooming, Hand Jobs, Haru goes to war with Rin's tail, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, domestically fluffy smut for the sharkbait ff/ss event, grossly inaccurate cat biology, heat makes Rin miserable, spoiler alert: Rin's tail wins, thankfully Haru's got taking care of him covered
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 08:34:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7162589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainScience/pseuds/CaptainScience
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, Haru manages to forget the most obvious things about Rin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crazy in Love

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man this was so much better in my head. I TRIED THOUGH. So, I didn’t have time to do both fluff Friday and smut Saturday so I sort of just shoved the two together into some weird fic that took on a life of its own and went waaaay beyond what I meant for it to be. Is this shocking to anyone that reads what I write? No, not is is not.
> 
> ANYWAYS. This is based off the lovely artwork by shinylostcause (do you have an ao3 name I HAVE NO IDEA) that can be seen in all it’s amazing glory [here](http://shinylostcause.tumblr.com/post/141603516165/haru-you-should-know-your-boyfriends-heat)
> 
> You should all go follow her on tumblr btw because she’s awesome and her art is adorable.

 

 

Honestly, Rin and Haruka wouldn’t have normally been in Iwatobi during early spring, having both made the move to Tokyo years ago when they’d first made the national team. Over time Tokyo had become their home, the center of their swimming universe, the bustling city that held the key to their dreams. Tokyo had become _their_ place, had been where they’d had their first date, their first kiss, their first _time_ , making it harder and harder for them to find the time to return back to Tottori.

 

That spring, however, both having time off from class in between semesters, they’d been called by Sousuke (well, Rin had been), making a personal request on behalf of Coach Sasabe. Sousuke’d asked them if it’d be possible for them to swim a showcase race at the local swim tournament, and having both the time off and the constant desire to race one another in front of a crowd, they’d quickly agreed.

 

If Sasabe needed the publicity of two Worlds’ gold medalists, then so be it. They could make the trip out there for him, no problem. They both owed him quite a bit, so it was only right.

 

Haruka’s parents still owned his grandmother’s house, so it worked out well enough. He and Rin always had a place to stay when they did decide to jetset back to Iwatobi, and it made meeting up with the Tachibanas easy as well. 

 

They’d arrived two days before the tournament, giving themselves some time to re-acclimate, to check in with Rin’s mother and Sousuke and other friends that still lived in and around Iwatobi.

 

The tournament was set for the early afternoon, beginning at around 10 and ending by 3, giving them the late afternoon and evening to themselves. After returning from their morning run and eating a protein-packed breakfast (Rin had been in charge of cooking that morning), they’d huddled together around the kotatsu, snuggled up in warm sweaters that Mrs. Tachibana had gifted them both.

 

“Mm, what do you want to do later?” Haruka asked idly, rolling a small tangerine from hand to hand before finally digging his thumb claw into the flesh, carefully beginning to peel it open. The tournament was in just over an hour, but they’d yet to discuss their plans for when it was over. Idly Haruka wondered if Sousuke had anything planned.

 

Dinner, maybe?

 

When Haruka earned no immediate response his eyes flitted curiously over to Rin, surprised by the abnormal silence. He blinked slowly when he realized that Rin’s red eyes were watching him fondly, slit thin and attentive, chin resting submissively on the table as he traced the claw of his index finger idly along the wooden surface of the kotatsu. A pink tongue darted out along rosy lips, both ridiculously fluffy ears pressed down a bit towards his head as he squirmed back and forth in his seat, tail flicking.

 

“Hm? Ri- oh.”

 

Oh indeed.

 

Rin was purring loudly, his long, silky tail swishing back and forth, completely out of control. Haruka couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten. Yet again.

 

While springtime marked the beginning of mating season for cats, almost no one went into heat until April or May.

 

Well, no one except Rin.

 

Rin had the very unlucky (or perhaps lucky if you were Haruka) issue of not only going into his first heat of the year earlier than anyone else, but also having a heat or two more than most cats. He’d hated it growing up, had been humiliated by his own body, but over the years he’d come to terms with the fact that he was just different, that he had a few more inconvenient heats than most but that it was perfectly okay.

 

 Haruka was lucky; his own heats were like clockwork. Two a season: one around late April, the other early June.

 

Haruka flushed at the implication, awkwardly clearing his throat as he forced his distracted attention back on the tangerine he’d stopped peeling midway. He couldn’t meet those eyes, not now, not when they had actual places to be in the very near future. He knew that if Rin pushed the issue, if Rin got any closer or purred any louder, they’d end up desecrating the kotatsu and missing the tournament all together.

 

And as fun as that sounded, he was pretty sure Sousuke’d murder them if they didn’t show.

 

“Are you sure you should be swimming today?” Haruka asked instead, attempting to somewhat divert Rin’s attention from the situation. The light scratching sound of claws on wood stopped as Rin sighed in mild irritation.

 

“You know I’ll be fine. I’m not, yanno, like _that_ yet. Not really. Just… needy…” Rin admitted meekly, voice low and weak and laced with an uncharacteristic shyness. Rin was proud and feisty and boisterous by nature, but his heat was like flipping an internal switch. He went from loud and in charge to tentative and sensitive and submissive in a matter of hours.

 

Haruka didn’t need to look up to know that Rin’s face was bright red, could hear the increasing speed of that tail flicking in embarrassment. He couldn’t really smell it yet, Rin’s heat, but theoretically it would probably be fine regardless. Very, _very_ few cats were professional swimmers. The vast majority of swimmers were, understandably, dogs.

 

On the negative side, dogs and cats sometimes struggled to get along, and he and Rin had both faced their fair share of adversity, being the wrong species in the wrong sport. They’d both fought long and hard to get the same respect and representation as their canine counterparts, though winning gold at Worlds had made a huge dent in the perception of cats.

 

On the positive side, the lack of cats meant that it was unlikely for anyone at the tournament to have a strong reaction if Rin _did_ start reeking of pheromones and need.

 

Well, anyone other than Haruka. But he highly doubted Rin’d be complaining about that one.

 

“Alright, if you’re sure. We should get ready, then,” Haruka said, finally looking up, frowning a bit when he realized Rin’s ears were still pressed back. “We _do_ have to leave soon, Rin.”

 

Haruka knew it was a byproduct of the impending heat, that Rin couldn’t help but overanalyze everything he said or did (or in this case didn’t do), assuming it a reflection upon himself. “If we didn’t have to be there by 10 I’d take care of you,” Haruka reassured quietly. If his hands weren’t covered in fruit juice he’d have reached over and pet Rin, but they were, so he let his tail brush against Rin’s instead, thoughtful and reassuring.

 

“I-I know that,” Rin snapped, the tip of his silky tail wrapping briefly around Haruka’s, silently seeking comfort. “Fuck, sorry, I can’t help it…”

 

Haruka nodded in understanding. “It’s alright, Rin. We can do whatever you want tonight, but we do need to get going, okay?”

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

 

\--

 

Haruka ended up getting completely destroyed by Rin that afternoon.

 

Rarely had there ever been even a marginal difference between their times, but today Rin had absolutely crushed Haruka by their joint swimming standards. A long time ago Haruka might have found himself annoyed by the loss, but one, he was proud of Rin, and two, Rin was going into heat.

 

Heats generally had a lot of really crappy side effects, including uncontrollable neediness and horniness and major behavioral changes that could leave a cat completely humiliated by themselves. In general they were quite the pain in the ass, both figuratively and literally. But heats did have one good thing going for them, and that was the physical reaction they triggered. When in heat, a cat’s bloodflow increased substantially, and their endorphins and neurotransmitter production rose in preparation for (presumably) oncoming reproduction.

 

Because of that, pre-heat had always been considered the athletic peak in cats. Heats weren’t really controllably, so it wasn’t like athlete cats could reliably use their heat cycle to their advantage, but occasionally they'd get lucky. Haruka’d never had it happen before, and he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to compete while approaching his heat. Or even while _in_ heat.

 

His headspace during his heats had always been a bit of a disaster, so it was hard for him to imagine dealing with that added stress during competition. Unlike himself, however, Rin had actually done both. The time he’d competed while deep in the throes of his heat, however, had been a very, _very_ bad idea. They’d both ended up performing horribly; Rin had understandably had a hard time, seeing as he went into the race a needy, sweaty mess. Haruka on the other hand had been stuck with a terribly embarrassing erection by association. Just smelling Rin in the water alongside him… he’d _tried_ to jerk off enough before the race, to take care of his very inappropriate problem, but Rin and heat and _water_ and he’d been completely gone.

 

Their coach had been beyond unimpressed.

 

Rin had tried to apologize after the race once they were alone in the locker room together, embarrassed and ashamed and upset, but instead of talking things over they’d ended up fucking in the showers like the animals they were. Haruka’d had to practically gag Rin with his hand to keep his howling from alerting others, and thankfully the poor teammate that had stumbled upon them had kept his mouth shut.

 

Once they’d finished their showcase race they both hastily rinsed off in the showers, deciding to stick around for the remainder of the tournament, mingling with both fans and friends. It was nice to be back on their home turf, to be appreciated, to see all those warmly familiar, local faces after spending so long in bustling, impersonal Tokyo.

 

Wandering ITSCR together was certainly entertaining enough, and especially fun was the large amount of children running amuck, excitedly asking them question after question about their medals and their travels, all big eyes and waggling tails. Both Haruka and Rin had always loved children, and Haruka couldn’t help but feel at ease as he took a seat on the bleachers, surrounded by excitable pups, quietly chit-chatting with the small group. He’d spent a good portion of his life entertaining Ran and Ren, and all those wide-eyed, curious, sweet little faces felt pleasantly familiar.

 

A few feet away Rin stood with his own tiny entourage, surrounded by a group of excitable kids, mostly pups, though a lone, shy kid had nervously sidled up to him, attention obviously on his tail.

 

“Is something wrong?” Rin asked softly, kneeling down a bit, getting at eye level with the little girl.

 

“Your tail…” she mumbled quietly.

 

“Hm? What about it?” He blinked, tail swishing unconsciously at the attention.

 

“It’s so big.”

 

Haruka couldn’t hide the small smile that curved at the edge of his lips as he blatantly eavesdropped in on their conversation. He’d always considered Rin’s tail to be one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. His own black tails and ears were sleek and streamlined, his fur silky and shorter, as though made for swimming. Rin, on the other hand, looked more like a show cat. His tail was exceptionally long, flaming red like his hair, long-furred and ridiculously silky. No matter where they went together, Rin’s appendages were always attracting attention, for better or worse.

 

Haruka knew that the prideful side of Rin loved his glorious tail, but the practical side, the swimmer, hated it. Finding swimsuits that could both accommodate his large tail and also stay within competition regulations had always been a major problem. For most of Rin’s life, before sponsors had happily filled in the monetary gap, he’d been forced to spend a ridiculous amount of money on custom suits, ones that could painlessly compress his tail down against his body.

 

“Can I… can I touch it?” The little girl asked hesitantly, her hand nervously drifting out to touch Rin’s tail, recoiling quickly when she’d yet to get the go ahead.

 

“Huh? Oh, sure. It’s kind of still wet, though…” Rin mumbled, tail flicking against his will.

 

Instantly her eyes lit up, chubby little hand reaching out to touch the tip of his flaming red tail, fingers digging into the soft fur with intrigue.

 

“Can we touch it, too!?” A young pup asked excitedly, his tail wagging a mile a minute, hand reaching to grab near the base of Rin’s tail without waiting for permission.

 

Haruka snorted in amusement, watching as Rin was quickly accosted by his hoard of small children, all desperate to touch his silky tail. As cats, having their tails pulled was pretty par for the course. Haruka’d had his fair share of children in grocery stores grab at his tail while he’d been shopping for mackerel, all lacking the impulse control to know any better.

 

He was lucky, though, compared to Rin. The worst he’d ever had to deal with were sticky fingered little kids with minimal boundaries. Rin’s tail, long and puffy and exotic and beautiful, got grabbed _much_ more often. Frequently by teenagers, and sometimes even by adults.

 

Haruka didn’t care much for that one.

 

Once they’d gone to a club in Tokyo with their teammates, earlier in their careers. Rin had been sore and absolutely miserably by the time they’d made it back to their apartment. He’d spent the entire night having his tail groped and yanked by rowdy, drunken club patrons. Needless to say, they’d never made a habit out of going to bars or clubs after that.

 

“That didn’t take long.”

 

Haruka glanced over in surprise, too distracted with watching Rin and the children to notice that someone had come to stand alongside him. His own little group of pups had wandered off to join the others in harassing Rin, and he’d been content to sit alone, watching his mate struggle to handle a dozen eager children.

 

“Never does. Everyone loves Rin’s tail.”

 

“That’s true. Thank you guys for coming, by the way,” Sousuke sighed out, taking a seat on the benches alongside Haruka, hand shoved in his jacket pockets. “Coach Sasabe said enrollment was down a bit. I figured two gold medalists might motivate more kids to join. Especially kits or buns. We’ve got so few swimming here that aren’t pups…”

 

Haruka nodded quietly. Swimming was certainly a dog’s world. He and Rin had been the only cats on their respective swim teams back in highschool, with Rei and a couple of the Samezuka swimmers being the only rabbits. And Rei hadn’t even known how to swim when he’d started. “No problem. It’s nice to be back for a bit.”

 

“Mmm, do you guys have plans after this?” Sousuke asked, glancing over at Haruka for a brief moment before returning his gaze to Rin, ears perked slightly as he observed the redhead closely.

 

“Not really.”

 

“Hm. I was going to ask if you guys wanted to grab dinner somewhere later, but Rin’s going into heat, right?”

 

Haruka blinked slowly, turning to eyes Sousuke in surprise. “You can smell him?”

 

“Hm? Oh, no, not really. Well, maybe if I tried. I don’t exactly go around sniffing people all the time.”

 

“You’re a dog, isn’t that exactly what you do?”

 

Sousuke frowned, clearing his throat and opting to ignore Haruka’s snide remark. “Anyways, I’ve just known him forever. I can tell when his heat’s starting because his behavior changes. Rin’s the most prideful jackass I know. It’s pretty obvious when he stops talking much and bows his head submissively and shit.”

 

“H-Haru…”

 

Haruka’s attention immediately shifted to Rin, surprised by that stuttering, weak voice. He climbed to his feet without thinking, ignoring Sousuke in favor of walking over to check on Rin.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, brow furrowed slightly in worry, frowning for a moment as Rin squirmed in place, attempting to shoo the kids away from his tail.

 

“T-Too many people touching my tail…”

 

It took a moment for Haruka to piece together what was wrong, eyes widening as he turned his attention on the group of kids. “Rin and I need to get going,” he explained quickly, voice quiet but firm, ignoring the whines and awws from the children as he slipped a gentle, protective arm around Rin’s waist. “The children’s race is starting soon. You all should go to ready.”

 

“Oh yeah!” one of the children yelped, turning to dart off excitably.

 

“Don’t run by the pool!” Haruka called out with a sigh, watching as the group of children dispersed off into different directions.

 

“This is so fucking embarrassing…” Rin groaned, whimpering lowly, head hung and both ears lowered, tail tucking pathetically between shaky legs. “It was fine when it was just the one kit touching the end of my tail, but then they all started touching it, and grabbing at the base…”

 

“I’m going to take Rin home,” Haruka finally said, turning his attention to Sousuke, watching the shepherd’s tail wag a bit in amusement.

 

“Please do,” Sousuke snickered out, eying his best friend, “before he starts caterwauling in public.”

 

“Oh fuck you,” Rin grumbled irritably, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, automatically shrinking into Haruka’s side. “Stupid male dogs and their no heats...”

 

Haruka turned his head to the side, placing a fleeting, gentle little kiss to Rin’s temple, smiling softly as Rin’s head immediately ducked into his neck. He could feel Rin inhale slowly, drinking in his scent, body relaxing instinctively in comfort. “Can you make it home or do we need to stop by the bathroom?” Haruka whispered lowly into Rin’s ear, attempting to be subtle, though he figured Sousuke’s well-trained ears would catch it regardless.

 

Sousuke snorted immediately, earning another irritable “fuck you” from Rin. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the one getting fucked tonight, Rinrin.”

 

“Yamazaki,” Haruka warned, voice low, tail hackled.

 

“Oh come on, I’m just teasing him. Anyways, get him home. You guys need anything just give me a call, alright? And thanks again for helping out.”

 

Haruka nodded quietly in response, hand brushing gently through Rin’s hair, keeping his arm around Rin’s waist for another short moment before finally pulling away. “Are you going to make it home?” he repeated gently, ducking his head low, attempting to meet Rin’s lowered gaze.

 

“Shit, yeah, I’ll be fine, Haru…” Rin mumbled.

 

Despite Rin being both extremely uncomfortable and half-hard, they made it to the train station without incident. They managed to get a seat in the back of one of the last cars, only a dozen or so other people seated in the car with them. Being away from the crowds and the pool seemed to calm Rin down a bit, and silently he curled in towards Haruka, eyes staring out the window while he huddled close for comfort.

 

Instinctively Haruka wrapped his arm around Rin once more, keeping his mate close, his sensitive nose finally picking up the earliest traces of Rin’s heat.  Without thinking he twined his tail with Rin’s as he leaned in close, nuzzling along Rin’s slender neck, inhaling that warm, sweet scent beginning to develop.

 

“Haru, we’re in public…” Rin whimpered lowly, a shiver rolling down his spine and a half a mewl escaping from his throat as Haruka’s tongue darted out, running wetly along the closer of the lightly swollen glands on either side of Rin’s neck.

 

“So?” Haruka shrugged, pausing for a brief moment before returning his tongue to Rin’s neck, this time lapping from the jut of Rin’s collar bone up to the length of his neck, continuing on to one of his furry, sensitive ears.

 

“People are watching,” Rin whined, sharp teeth biting into the fat of his lower lip as Haruka’s tongue dipped into the fold of his large ear, drifting along the line of cartilage, not minding the long, silky strands of fur catching along his tongue. Their showers had been quick, and Rin’s fur still smelled heavily of chlorine, mixed with the growing scent of his heat.

 

It was _intoxicating_.

 

“So?” he mumbled against Rin’s ear, not removing his tongue, continuing to slowly, methodically lap along that silky ear.

 

“But I’m in heat…” Rin continued, voice squeaky and low and heavy with embarrassment.

 

Sighing Haruka pulled away, head dipping to the side, attempting to catch Rin’s eyes, staring downwards in shame. “So? I’m cleaning your ears, Rin, not sucking you off.”

 

“Haru!” Rin flushed, finally looking up, eyes wide in horror.

 

“What? Cats groom each other’s faces on the train all the time, Rin. We’re the only cats on this train. No one knows you’re in heat, they just think I’m grooming you.”

 

“Tch, you’re so embarrassing…” Rin groaned, hand palming at his face for a moment as he attempted to regain his bearings.

 

Sighing Haruka decided not to leave it up for discussion anymore, moving to remove Rin’s hand and plant a palm on each of Rin’s cheeks, tilting his mate’s head to the side a bit before dipping his tongue into that warm ear once more.

 

Rin unconsciously trilled in pleasure at the soothing sensation, immediately flushing in horror, hand slamming over his mouth. “ _Oh my god_ …” he groaned in English.

 

This time people _were_ staring, though Haruka didn’t really have it in him to care. Like they had any place to judge. It wasn’t like dogs weren’t notorious for invading personal space and sniffing people without their consent. Or rabbits with their propensity for biting _everyone_ when annoyed or spooked. “It’s fine, Rin. Kits trill all the time when they’re being groomed.”

 

“ _Kits_ do, Haru. Not cats…” Rin whined, voice thick with humiliation and, if Haruka was gauging correctly, an embarrassed lump in his throat.

 

“Calm down,” Haruka sighed lightly against Rin’s ear, fingers gently caressing along the inflamed glands of Rin’s neck. “Our stop’s coming up and there’s barely anyone on the train…”

 

“Easy for you to say…”

 

A few more minutes and they were making their way back to Haruka’s house, gaits even, tails occasionally curling together unconsciously. Rin groaned when they reached the steep steps leading up to Haruka’s home, but an affectionate nudge from Haruka had him moving, and quickly they climbed up, stride-in-stride.

 

“Do you want me to give you a bath first?” Haruka asked as soon as they’d slid open the front door and removed their shoes in the genkan.

 

“I can bathe myself…” Rin grumbled, slipping off his coat and hanging it in the closet before holding his hand out expectantly, waiting for Haruka’s.

 

“Mmm, yeah. But I like giving you baths.”

 

“You just like having a reason to get in too…” Rin muttered, shaking his head.

 

Haruka slipped out of his coat, handing it over to Rin before heading to go turn on the heating. “How are you holding up?” Haruka questioned, wandering back to Rin, slipping an arm around the redhead’s waist.

 

“I’m fine…” Rin grumbled irritably, burying his face momentarily into the crook of Haruka’s neck despite all his complaining. “You know how my heats are…”

 

Haruka nodded silently, giving the crown of Rin’s head a gentle kiss before taking Rin’s hand in his own. “Alright, bath then.”

 

“Nnngh, fine,” Rin sighed, nuzzling against Haruka’s collar before reluctantly pulling away, tail flicking back and forth.

 

Once they were in the changing room Haruka immediately began stripping off his own clothing, setting it in the laundry before moving to start filling the bathtub with hot water while Rin worked on undressing. Once nude Rin stood awkwardly in the bathroom doorway, tail tucked down, hands attempting to cover his very obvious, half-hard erection.

 

“It’s nothing I haven’t already seen, Rin,” Haruka snorted, sitting on the edge of the bathtub as it filled up, dragging the stool to settle between his legs. “Sit.”

 

“I’m not a dog,” Rin snapped before quietly obeying, carefully walking over and taking a seat between Haruka’s thighs, back to his partner, tail still tucked towards his body.

 

“Mmm, I don’t know why you get so embarrassed about your heats still, Rin. I have them too,” Haruka mumbled, giving Rin’s hair an affectionate brush through with his fingers before grabbing the shower head. “All cats do.”

 

“I got hard because some kids were touching my fucking tail, Haru. In _public_. I’m pretty sure I earned the right to be embarrassed…” Rin groaned, ears pressing down in humiliation.

 

“It’s not like anyone but Yamazaki and I knew. Plus, you can’t control your body, especially not when in heat. Pups are too young to realize how sensitive the bases of our tails are. I mean they were basically doing the cat equivalent of rubbing your dick.”

 

“Fuck, don’t say that out loud, it sounds creepy as hell,” Rin groused, glancing back as Haruka as Haruka turned off the bath faucet and turned on the shower head.

 

“It’s the truth,” Haruka shrugged, gently shifting Rin’s head forward before leaning it back slightly so he could begin wetting that beautiful red hair. “Close your eyes.”

 

“Still creepy…” Rin mumbled, silently obeying, sighing in contentment as Haruka removed the showerhead, running warm water over Rin’s head before adding in some shampoo.

 

Haruka made sure to methodically work his fingers through Rin’s hair over the next few minutes, massaging and scratching at his scalp, mindful about getting water in either of those large ears. Once he’d fully rinsed off Rin’s hair he turned to his own, wetting and sudsing it before using the shower head to clean himself off, hanging it back up before reaching for the soap.

 

“Mmm, you’ve been hard this whole time, haven’t you?” Haruka hummed lightly, resting his chin on one of Rin’s shoulders and glancing down blatantly. He rubbed the liquid soap between his fingers before running strong hands along Rin’s chest, thumb idling affectionately over one of those deceptively sensitive nipples.

 

“Obviously…” Rin grumbled, shivering at the contact, one hand taking a firm, desperate grip on the stool beneath him. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

 

“Mm, just figured you deserved some relief,” Haruka mumbled affectionately into Rin’s warm neck, soapy right hand working along those muscular abdominals before slipping between parted thighs.

 

“Shiiit…” Rin hissed out as Haruka’s hands wrapped around his length, soapy, slick fingers quickly finding a slow, easy rhythm. “Haru,” Rin groaned, head tilting towards Haruka’s, both ears pressed back flat, tail straightening in pleasure.

 

Haruka smiled softly, shifting his face slightly, lips brushing affectionately along Rin’s jaw line and down to his swollen neck glands, hand pumping faster, attempting to rush Rin to orgasm because, well, honestly the bath water was getting cold and Haruka wanted to get in it.

 

Haruka loved Rin, of course, loved controlling his pleasure, loved _giving_ him pleasure but… but the bath.

 

Rin choked back a yowl, rolling his hips forwards as Haruka’s pace hastened, the movements increasingly sharp and demanding. With another mewling gasp Rin’s hand flew up, covering his mouth, face flushed in embarrassment.

 

“Mm, Rin, you can be as loud as you want, we’re not in the apartment…” Haruka mumbled quietly, slowly inhaling in Rin’s heady scent before slipping his free hand up to grab Rin’s, twining their fingers together as he dragged Rin’s hand away from his mouth.

 

“With how I get in heat, the twins could probably hear me from the Tachibana’s…” Rin whined breathily, teeth biting into his lower lip as Haruka’s grip tightened around him.

 

“Their hearing’s not _that_ good.”

 

“They’re dogs.”

 

“It’s fine, Rin,” Haruka sighed softly, tongue darting out to run over a swollen gland, earning another desperate mewl.

 

“Y-You’re just trying to speed this up because, because you want to get in the bath, aren’t you?”

 

“…Maybe.”

 

“Haruuuuu,” Rin whined breathily, gasping as Haruka paused long enough to slide his thumb along Rin’s weeping slit before returning to those steady, fast-paced pumps.

 

“Just hurry up and come, Rin, the water’s getting cold.”

 

“Oh my god, stop telling my dick what to do! This isn’t hot at all, Haru,” Rin whimpered, hips still shifting to meet each of Haruka’s thrusts.

 

“You’re in heat, Rin, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter how hot it is, you can get off regardless,” Haruka snorted, smiling in mild amusement against Rin’s neck, ears perked.

 

“You are the worst mate ever,” Rin groaned irritably.

 

“I’m sure there are worse.”

 

“You are _literally_ picking water over me.”

 

“Well I’m _trying_ to pick both but you’re not making this easy…” Haruka grumbled. There was a fine line between getting Rin off quickly and fisting him _too_ hard, and as much as Haruka wanted to get into the bath together, he knew Rin’s body was increasingly hypersensitive and needed to be handled accordingly.

 

Haruka grazed his thumb over the tip of Rin’s seeping length once more, unlocking his hand from Rin’s while Rin buried his face in Haruka’s chest and neck with a pathetic little whine. Haruka smiled softly, taking the moment to gently brush Rin’s wet hair from his eyes. “Mmm, you’re so beautiful, Rin…”

 

“St-stop sweet talking me,” Rin groaned, but Haruka could tell by the pathetic little nuzzle in response that Rin was flushing from the compliment.

 

“Mm, the truth isn’t sweet talking,” Haruka argued quietly, kissing Rin’s temple as he continued with those quick pumps, hand slipping away from Rin’s hair, instead running along his side, down slick skin, before dipping between the pair of them. “You _are_ beautiful. Everyone knows it. You draw attention wherever you go. People can’t stop staring, especially at _this_ ,” Haruka purred, taking a firm, solid grip around the base of Rin’s tail, giving it an affectionate tug.

 

Rin cried out at the contact and immediately Haruka knew he was coming, mindful to carefully decelerate the pumps of his hand to a gentler, leisurely pace as he carefully milked Rin’s orgasm.

 

“S-Such a cheater…” Rin groaned pathetically into Haruka’s chest, breath heavy, earning himself a fond kiss to the crown of his head. 

 

“Bath now?” Haruka asked hopefully, wrapping both arms around Rin’s shoulders affectionately.  

 

“Nnghh, fine,” Rin grumbled, slipping out of Haruka’s hold as he struggled to climb to his feet, knees shaking at the exertion. He was still hard, of course, but the orgasm had taken some of the edge off of his heat, and with the offer of a steadying hand from Haruka, he was able to get into the tub, immediately sinking into the hot water.

 

Haruka paused long enough to turn off the shower before climbing in as well, sitting across from Rin, knees dragged to his chest, feet settled between Rin’s slightly spread legs. “Mm, how do you feel?” Haruka asked idly, fingers of his right hand toying with one of Rin’s big toes.

 

“Annoyed at you still, but better,” Rin grumbled, purposefully flicking some water at Haruka.

 

“Mm, what do you want me to make you for dinner?” Haruka asked, waggling Rin’s toe between his fingers until the redhead finally tugged his foot away.

 

“Meat, obviously,” Rim mumbled.

 

Haruka sighed. “What kind, Rin?”

 

“Do we have ground beef and pork?”

 

“Yeah.” Haruka paused for a moment, grabbing one of Rin’s hands under the water, twining their fingers together. “You’re going to have a really miserable heat if you stay mad at me.”

 

“I know…”

 

Haruka said nothing, letting his chin rest on one of his knees as his thumb ran idly along Rin’s hand. He was well-aware that Rin’s sudden grudge would only last long enough for his heat to begin coming on strong once more. He couldn’t really say anything, though. Rin got sensitive and clingy and fickle during his heats, just like Haruka got demanding and irritable during his. For every time Rin devolved into a pouting little kid during his heat, Haruka got snappy at Rin for talking too much during his. Or talking too little. Or not saying exactly what he wanted to hear at any given moment.

 

Heat wasn’t exactly the most rational time for cats.

 

For a few minutes they just sat quietly in the water together, Haruka’s eyes drifting shut while his thumb continued with those gentle circles.

 

“Haru…” Rin started quietly before trailing off awkwardly.

 

Haruka reopened his eyes slowly, staring at Rin, waiting patiently for his mate to finish.

 

“Will you maybe… give me a scratch?” Rin mumbled, face flushing awkwardly, ears hanging nervously as he pulled his knees to his chest.

 

“Hm? Of course,” Haruka said quietly, spreading his legs some within the basin, gesturing for Rin to settle between them.

 

Rin scooted forward, fingers still twined for a moment before he slipped his legs over Haruka’s, butt settled comfortably in front of Haruka, body slumping forward.

 

Rin was still obviously hard (there was no fighting a heat), Haruka could feel the poking at his belly, but sexual attention wasn’t what Rin wanted at the moment so he pointedly ignored it in favor of removing his hand from Rin’s and burying his fingers in Rin’s damp locks.

 

He scratched his claws gently along Rin’s scalp, making sure to focus on the sweet spots near his ears.

 

It took under a minute for Rin to begin purring, head lolling contentedly against Haruka’s neck and shoulder, arms wrapping loosely around Haruka’s waist in a sleepy, clingy gesture. With a soft smile Haruka worked his hands downwards, scratching along Rin’s upper back, down the length of his spine, making sure to spread his hands out along the meat of Rin’s back and sides, determined to not miss a single spot along that wonderfully muscled back.

 

“Mmm, a little bit over,” Rin mumbled, sighing in contentment as Haruka’s hand immediately obeyed. “A-Ah, yes, right there!” Rin moaned, tail shooting up in pleasure, the tip peeking out from the water’s surface.

 

Haruka couldn’t help but snort in amusement, giving the itchy spot some much needed attention as Rin squirmed against his thighs. “Better?” he finally asked, earning another low moan and a nod from Rin.

 

“I can never reach that spot…” Rin sighed, idly kissing Haruka’s collar bone.

 

“Mm, what do you want next? Food? Or something else?” Haruka asked, claws idly scratching just above Rin’s tail, snickering quietly as Rin’s butt wiggled in response.

 

“I’m kind of hungry. We haven’t eaten anything but protein bars since breakfast…”

 

“Mm, I can do that.”

 

“But I’m also… hot…” Rin trailed off awkwardly, letting out an exacerbated whine, head lifting only to thump right back down on Haruka’s shoulder. “I hate being in heat…”

 

“It’s not that bad, Rin. An excuse to stay in for a few days, just the two of us.”

 

“I like your heats better.”

 

Haruka couldn’t help but snort. “Do you _really_?”

 

“Ngh, I guess… kind of. Okay no, not really. You’re super mean when you’re in heat,” Rin laughed, placing an idle kiss along Haruka’s shoulder.

 

“I am,” Haruka mumbled fondly, continuing those gentle scratches to Rin’s back, sighing in contentment as Rin’s hands began to toy with the top half of his tail in return. “You wanted Hamburg steak, right?”

 

Rin nodded, fingers still lazily toying with Haruka’s tail.

 

“Mmm, takes about an hour to make. You going to last that long?”

 

Rin nodded quietly again, finally removing his hands from Haruka’s tail, idly staring down at his fingers. “I’m all pruney…”

 

“Mm, let’s get out, then. Get started on dinner.”

 

Rin blinked, pulling back so he could stare at Haruka in surprise. “What? Nanase Haruka, the first to suggest leaving the bathtub? Is hell freezing over?”

 

Rin yelped when Haruka affectionately shoved his palm into Rin’s face, laughing as Haruka stood up before offering a hand. “It’s too tight in here for two of us, anyways,” Haruka mumbled disappointedly. Rin took the offered hand, letting Haruka drag him to his feet as they both stepped out of the tub. Haruka drained the basin before re-covering it, taking the towel that Rin offered him, carefully drying off.

 

Once re-dressed, both opting for sweatshirts and loose fitting lounge pants (Rin needed the room, given his heat), Haruka headed for the kitchen, leaving Rin to take a seat at the kotatsu. “Ugh I hate this…” Rin whined, letting his head drop to the wooden surface of the kotatsu with a thud. “It’s too cold to be in heat already.”

 

“I don’t know why you’re acting like it’s such a pain. Shouldn’t you be used to it now? You’ve been going into heat since you were 13…” Haruka pointed out, slipping on his apron.

 

“Nghhhh, don’t remind me. That first heat in Australia was the worst. Going into winter with a heat out-of-sync with everyone else. I mean, I was pretty much the only cat to begin with on the swim team, but like… wrong hemisphere and shit. Cats usually start heats in November there, but my body hadn’t adjusted yet, I guess. Russell and Lori’d never seen a male cat in heat either and just ughhh. So embarrassingly miserable.”

 

“Mine was just as bad…” Haruka mumbled, working on sautéing up some freshly minced onions.

 

Rin couldn’t help but laugh, staring up at Haruka in amusement. “I still say I caused you to go into heat. I can’t believe you went into heat only hours after that race. Too many hormones from being in the water with me, Nanase? Couldn’t control your thirst?”  

 

“You really shouldn’t joke about that day…” Haruka grumbled irritably.

 

“Ugh, yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry…” Rin frowned, ears automatically pressing down.

 

“But it’s probably true, anyways,” Haruka added, glancing back at Rin for a moment. “I have no idea why I’ve been attracted to your stupid face for so long.”

 

“Hey!” Rin cried out, unable to keep himself from bursting into laughter. “I could say the same, you know. What in the hell attracted me to a guy that climbs into fish tanks at pet stores for fun? The world may never know.”

 

“Amakata-sensei once said it was the red string of fate,” Haruka mused aloud, setting the onions aside to cool for a bit, mixing the sauce while he waited.

 

“Hm. Makes sense, in a way. We’re cats. We _do_ love strings,” Rin grinned playfully, ears perked back up, tail swishing affectionately.

 

Haruka rolled his eyes, his own tail flicking, opting to distract himself with his cooking. “I think there was more to it than us being the only two cats on the swim team.”

 

“True. Mm, the romantic in me likes to think she’s right, though. It’s weird to imagine having never met you. I wonder if I’d have known there was a big piece of me missing or not…” Rin wondered idly, dropping down onto the pillows of the kotatsu, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

 

“I wouldn’t have known.”

 

“Hm? Wouldn’t have known what?” Rin asked, sitting back up, leaning over the kotatsu and glancing over at Haruka.

 

“Wouldn’t have known I was missing a big part of myself,” Haruka mumbled, refusing to look at Rin, attention solely on the meat he was working with.

 

“…Really?”

 

Haruka nodded before sighing quietly. “You always tell me how I keep expanding your world, year after year. But… but there are _so_ many things I never would have done had I never met you. Something as simple as a relay, I never would have done it without you pushing me so hard.” Haruka paused for a moment, letting his hands rest awkwardly in the bowl of meat he’d been mixing, frowning to himself before continuing.

 

“I’ve got a gold medal from Worlds. Odds are that I’ll be swimming in the Olympics in the next two years. I think… I think I would have stayed here. In this house. Maybe I would have gone to a junior college for a few years. Tried to find something to do with my life I could tolerate. I never would have pushed my swimming without you, never gotten to the point of being scouted because I just didn’t _care_ until I met you. University in Tokyo never would have happened. Traveling Japan, traveling the _world_. Australia. I…” Haruka paused for a moment, swallowing hard, ears hanging. “I don’t think I would have ever truly _lived_ had you not bulldozed your way into my life. Made me notice you. I could have survived without you, of course. I survived without you for the five year you were in Australia. But I think… I’m only really living when I’m with you, Rin…”

 

“Shit, Haru…”

 

It took only a few seconds for Rin to make his way into the kitchen, standing for a moment behind Haruka before wrapping strong arms around that narrow waist from behind. “I love you…” Rin breathed out against the back of Haruka’s neck, slowly inhaling and then exhaling, voice choking in his throat.

 

“Don’t cry into the meat,” Haruka mumbled affectionately, hands returning to forming the patties.

 

“Butthead…” Rin snickered, nuzzling at the back of Haruka’s neck for a moment before peering over his shoulder at the meat. “Mm, looks good.”

 

“Of course it does. I’m making it.”

 

“Getting a little cocky there are we, Nanase?” Rin grinned, placing a playful kiss just below Haruka’s ear.

 

“If I hadn’t become a swimmer, I think I may have ended up becoming a chef.”

 

“A chef? I don’t know if a restaurant full of mackerel dishes would draw that many customers,” Rin teased lightly.

 

“Am I making mackerel right now?” Haruka asked pointedly.

 

“Fair point,” Rin laughed.

 

“Mm, now go away. I’m going to start cooking them and we only have one apron. Also, you’re poking me.”

 

“H-Hey! I can’t help it, you know,” Rin pouted, giving Haruka’s waist a final squeeze before pulling away, wandering back to the kotatsu and plunking himself back down on the pillows. “Would it’d be considered inappropriate to touch myself at the kotatsu?” Rin asked after a few minutes, squirming pathetically in his seat. The only good thing about cats’ heats were that they ebbed and flowed, their intensity wavering throughout the day. It allowed cats to sleep and still somewhat function, but when the hormones spiked there was little fighting the desperate need.

 

“We eat there, Rin,” Haruka responded mildly, flipping the meat patties.

 

“Ughh, I know,” Rin groaned, tail flicking. “I’m sorry, I can’t control myse-“

 

“I know. It’s fine, Rin. Food, then whatever else you want. Just need to deglaze the pan to make the sauce and it’s done,” Haruka responded easily, opting not to look back at Rin because, well, honestly he could _smell_ Rin from the kitchen even over the Hamburg steak and there was very little doubt in his mind that Rin’s heat was growing stronger.

 

A _lot_ stronger.

 

Rin nodded meekly, head dropping to the kotatsu once more as he waited impatiently for Haruka to finish up.

 

Their early dinner was, as expected, delicious. Rin wished he could have enjoyed it more, but the longer they ate the hotter he got, appetite rapidly waning, face beginning to flush.  

 

“Mmm, just hold out long enough for me to do the dishes,” Haruka mumbled thoughtfully, watchful eyes on his mate, well aware that Rin was beginning to lose control. Silently he reached over for Rin’s mostly empty plate, making sure to grab his own as well.

 

Rin’s hand shot out immediately, fingers wrapping around that wrist, glancing up at Haruka with lusty, needy, desperate red eyes. “Put the dishes in the sink and I’ll do them later, Haru. Please,” Rin breathed out, eyes lowering back down submissively, ears hanging. “It _hurts_ …”

 

Haruka frowned for a moment before nodding, waiting for Rin’s claws to stop digging into his wrist so he could go put the dishes in the sink. Rin was about as much of a clean-freak as he was, so if Rin was begging him to forego washing the dishes in favor of letting them fester in the sink, then Rin was in a sorry state indeed.

 

Haruka disappeared long enough to deposit the dishes in the sink before returning to Rin, snorting lightly in amusement when he realized Rin’s hand was down his pants.

 

“Sh-shut up. I’m desperate over here,” Rin whined pathetically, removing his hand from his pants before offering it up hopefully.

 

“…I don’t know if I want to touch that hand now,” Haruka frowned.

 

“Oh just help me up. Not like your own hand wasn’t _literally_ on my dick all of an hour ago.”

 

“Mm, you’re a giant baby when you’re in heat,” Haruka chastised affectionately before taking Rin’s hand, tugging the redhead to his feet. Rin wobbled for a moment, groaning, knees almost giving way under the weight of his body. Haruka’s other hand flew out to grab him, giving him a second to stabilize before tentatively pulling away. “Bedroom, then?”

 

Rin nodded weakly, wincing as he took that first step. “I still can’t believe it’s possible to get so unbelievably hard it hurts…”

 

“Do I need to carry you?” Haruka teased lightly. “Or jerk you off right here?”

 

“If I weren’t afraid my dick’d break off during a piggy back ride I might just say yes. And I don’t want another lousy handjob, I want _you._ ”

 

Haruka snorted lightly, giving Rin a soft kiss to the temple, taking Rin’s hand in his own. “My hand is still part of me, you know,” he smiled before gingerly leading Rin towards the bedroom.

 

“Not the part I want…” Rin purred, raising a suggestive eyebrow as they made their way up the stairs to Haruka’s bedroom.

 

For the most part they’d left the house untouched, like an odd reminder of where they’d started, of Haruka’s history (plus his parents occasionally still used it as a ‘home base’ as well). The only addition they’d made was replacing the single bed with a double so that when they did come back to Iwatobi they could comfortably share. It crowded the relatively small room a bit, but it was certainly worth it.

 

The moment they entered the bedroom Rin’s hands were on Haruka, roving and demanding as he crushed their mouths together in need. Seconds later he was undoing the drawstrings on Haruka’s pants, dragging them down hastily while his mouth continued planting needy kiss after needy kiss to Haruka’s lips and jaw.

 

The more desperate Rin got the more Haruka could smell his heat, and after another few moments the overwhelming, delicious scent was becoming nearly unbearable. It was always difficult for Haruka to fight against the natural rutting instinct, to control himself, to keep a clear mind so he didn’t end up accidentally hurting Rin. Honestly, Rin was a _lot_ better about it than he was. His impulse control had always been shoddy at best (he couldn’t _help_ jumping into fountains, damnit), and he found containing his own urges during Rin’s heat to be much more difficult than for Rin to do the same during his.

 

“Mmm, Rin, bed,” Haruka ordered breathily between kisses, gently pushing Rin away.

 

Initially Rin ignored the command, instead reaching for the hem of Haruka’s sweatshirt, tugging it upwards, waiting for Haruka’s hands to rise before sliding it over his head. Once Haruka’s sweatshirt and t-shirt had been dumped to the floor alongside Rin’s, Rin finally followed orders and made his way over to the bed, carefully sitting at the edge, kicking off his own pants, erection swollen and heavy and needy.

 

Haruka slipped out of his underwear, idly noting how wet they already were as he moved to stand in front of Rin, both hands settling on each side of Rin’s face. “What do you want, Rin? Just tell me and I’ll do it.”

 

“Y-You already know what I want…” Rin mumbled irritably, attempting to look down in submission only to have his face held in place, tail tucking along the curve of his ass.

 

Haruka nodded slowly, leaning in for a quick, deep kiss before releasing Rin’s face, gesturing for the redhead to get onto the bed.

 

Rin obeyed immediately (Haruka was pretty sure he was already entering into heat-induced hysteria-it’d certainly fall on Haruka to keep things under control from now on), shakily crawling across the bed before settling in the middle, ass in the air, tail still tucked underneath him.

 

“Just grabbing the lube,” Haruka said softly, moving to rummage through one of the bags they’d brought, taking a moment to find the missing bottle as well as to regain his bearings. It wasn’t that he still couldn’t smell Rin from across the room, but it was less intense for sure, so he took the moment to clear his head before standing back up and returning to his partner.

 

“P-Please, Haru. Hurry up…” Rin groaned into the mattress, claws digging into the comforter, butt waggling against his will.

 

Haruka climbed onto the bed, bottle of lubricant in hand, taking a seat between Rin’s spread legs. Gently he grasped the middle of Rin’s tail, carefully untucking it from between Rin’s legs, gingerly lifting the appendage up and away from Rin’s ass. Dropping the bottle of lube at his side for a moment to free up his other hand, Haruka softly ran his thumb along Rin’s reddened, swollen entrance, earning a small, choked yowl.

 

Contrary to popular misconceptions, male cats in heat didn’t produce their own lubricant, nor were they able to ‘take more’ than when they weren’t in heat. They were sensitive and swollen and honestly _more_ prone to tearing while in heat. Proper preparation was essential at all times, of course, but _especially_ when heat was involved, and Haruka knew better than to rush things.

 

Even if Rin’s heat was making him feel heady and horny and _desperately_ primal.

 

“Haruuu…” Rin whimpered, ass squirming, hole clenching and unclenching in desperate want as that thumb toyed along him.

 

Haruka took a deep, slow breath, inhaling in those pheromones and musk before sighing out with a nod, fumbling to grab the lubricant once more.

 

The second he let go of Rin’s tail it instinctively tucked back under, curling along a muscular, bare thigh. Haruka stared for a moment, frowning and taking a hold of it again, lifting it and letting go of it only to have it tuck under once more. “Every time…” he mumbled in amusement.

 

“I can’t help it…” Rin mumbled pathetically into the bed, embarrassment clear in his voice. “Ughhh, I’m sorry, Haru…”

 

“It’s okay, Rin. We just didn’t remember to bring the ribbon,” Haruka said quietly, placing a gentle, soothing kiss on Rin’s lower back. Rin’s tail was always a problem because heat instinct meant to submit to one’s mate, and to submit meant, well, tail between the legs for cats. Because of the sheer size of Rin’s tail, it was much harder to deal with than Haruka’s when it came to submission.

 

Over the years they’d settled on ‘tie a ribbon around Rin’s tail so Rin could hold it out of the way during prep,’ but being away from home when they normally wouldn’t have been had seen them forgetting a crucial part of their heat regimen.

 

For a moment Haruka debated wandering downstairs to take the shoelaces out of his shoes so he could tie them together in place of the ribbon, but Rin would most _definitely_ throw a fit if he up and left, and honestly the idea of pulling himself away from his desperately-in-heat mate was, well, pretty much the last thing he wanted to do.

 

Leaving Rin’s side went against every mating instinct he had.

 

Curiously Haruka set one of his hands on Rin’s lower back, giving him a light scratch just above his tail.

 

Haruka watched in amusement as that tail (and Rin’s butt in general) shot up at the contact, back arching, purr escaping deep from Rin’s throat. “Hm, that might work…” Haruka mumbled, pulling his hand away only to have that tail tuck once more, taking a moment to pour some of the lubricant over his fingers. Once finished he closed the cap, using his clean hand to once again scratch at Rin’s back, watching that tail flip right back up.

 

Smugly satisfied he gently circled his middle finger around the edge of that sensitive, swollen entrance, coating it well before carefully pressing in.

 

Rin choked back a yowl, gasping into the sheets, hips immediately jerking back, trying to shove that finger deeper, harder, tail suddenly swishing, smacking Haruka in the face each time it flicked. “Rin…” Haruka warned, nose scrunching up at the fluff to the face.

 

“F-Fuck, Haru, Please, I-I’m fine. J-Just more, I need more. One’s not enough I, I can take more, _please_ ,” Rin begged weakly, his pleas coming out in a string of barely coherent thoughts.

 

_Shit_ was it hard to focus with Rin’s non-stop begging, but Haruka held his ground, keeping one finger inside Rin, gently, gingerly circling it around, stretching out his mate. He could do this. He could focus, he could keep control, he could not give into Rin’s begging and do something they’d both regret later. “Calm down, Rin. You’ll regret it later if we move too fast.”

 

“N-No, I won’t! Fuck, Haru, I need more, I need _you_. I need you inside of me so _bad_. I can’t… everything hurts…. _Please._ ”

 

Haruka bit his lower lip, attempting to focus solely on preparing Rin, to ignore those sweet, desperate pleas. Rin’d hate himself for it later, once his heat had begun to wane, but until then Haruka just had to do his best to resist the temptation to give in. Because he wanted to.

 

_Boy_ did he want to.

 

After Rin seemed stretched as well as one finger could manage, Haruka tentatively dipped another inside, earning himself a loud groan of his name. “Nngh, H-Haru…” Rin choked out, breath heavy, ass squirming in need, hips desperately trying to gyrate against those fingers, to set some type of rhythm.

 

Haruka forced himself to take another slow, deep breath, because Rin’s smell and his warmth and his words were just pushing every single button Haruka had, and there was absolutely nothing he wanted more than to slam Rin down and fuck him as hard as he wanted to be fucked.

 

“H-Haru… please it’s enough just, I’m fine just, just fuck me. _Please_ …” Rin whined into the bed, and Haruka could _hear_ the choking in his voice, the building tears, the absolute _need_.

 

“Rin, _shut up_ ,” Haruka growled, tail flicking, because if Rin didn’t simmer down for the minute or so Haruka needed to finish preparing him, Haruka _was_ going to crack.

 

“Unghhh, b-but Haru, I…”

 

Haruka’s hand was off Rin’s back and at his neck in an instant, taking a firm, strong grip on his nape. Immediately Rin quieted down, relaxing into the hold, breath slowly beginning to even back out, words disappearing on his lips.

 

Neither of them were fans of scruffing, really, but they’d long ago come to a mutual agreement that scruffing during heat was the one and only time it was acceptable in their relationship. Honestly, Haruka could _usually_ get through Rin’s heat without resorting to it, though Rin didn’t quite have the same luxury during Haruka’s. When Rin resorted to it, it was because Haruka was out of control (a very common heat-induced event, to his own shame). When Haruka resorted to it, it was because, well, he was afraid _he’d_ lose control.

 

Sometimes he had to protect Rin from himself.

 

Without Rin fighting him the entire time he was able to slowly work all three fingers in, keeping a gentle, steady pump as he patiently worked them in and out. Rin was quiet and subdued now, tail limp, the only sound coming from him a few short, still ragged breaths. Once Haruka felt Rin well-prepared enough he removed his fingers, carefully letting go of Rin’s neck, wincing slightly at Rin’s sudden gasp. Haruka couldn’t help the mild guilt that always settled in his chest when he was forced to scruff Rin, and he quickly mumbled out a quiet apology, giving Rin’s neck a light, soothing pet.

 

“I-I’m sorry…” Rin choked out in guilt, earning a shake of the head from Haruka.

 

“No. I did it because of me, not you.”

 

Rin glanced back at him, lips parted, eyes glazed and not fully focused, nodding slightly despite the confusion in those eyes.  

 

“Do you want it like this, Rin?”

 

Rin shook his head dazedly, blinking slowly, taking a moment to form words. “I want to see you, H-Haru.”

 

Haruka nodded shortly, watching as Rin shakily turned around, settling on his back. Haruka had to resist the urge to grab Rin’s weeping, reddened erection; he knew from personal experience that, at this point, touching Rin would do nothing but hurt, but the sympathetic part of him couldn’t help but want to take care of his mate. What Rin needed, however, would need to come from other means. “You ready?” he asked, earning a quick nod from Rin.

 

“P-Please, Haru. I’m _dying_ just… I need you to _mate_ me. Now. _Please_ ,” Rin choked out, eyes tearing in pain.

 

Carefully Haruka settled between Rin’s legs, those powerful thighs immediately latching around him, refusing to let him pull away. Haruka took a firm hold on Rin’s hip with one hand, the other steadying his length, holding it at Rin’s entrance.

 

The moment he pushed in Rin was coming hard, choking on his own pitchy yowl, tears of relief burning in his eyes as he heaved for breath while riding out his orgasm. It took everything Haruka had in him to stop, to be patient, to watch semen spurt out over Rin’s belly and feel Rin’s hot hole clenching around him without moving at all. Only once Rin had calmed down, had stopped crying and gasping for air, did Haruka slowly pull back, taking a moment to himself before pushing back in in a slow, fluid motion.  

 

Rin groaned at the sensation, thighs tightening instinctively around Haruka’s slender waist, claws digging into the sheets beneath him, hips jutting out to meet Haruka’s head-on.

 

“C-Can I speed up now?” Haruka asked, voice harried, self-control rapidly waning, tail flicking in desperation as he stared down at the sweaty, disoriented redhead beneath him.

 

“Y-Yeah,” Rin nodded, reaching his arms out, beckoning for Haruka to lean in, to come closer. Haruka immediately obliged, feeling Rin’s strong arms wrap around his neck and shoulders, dragging him in, crushing their mouths together in a desperate, needy kiss.

 

Haruka planted his hands on either side of Rin for support, tongue darting along Rin’s plump lower lip as he began thrusting his hips, steady and smooth, pace sharper than he intended but damnit he was _trying his best._

 

Not rutting the hell out of your beautiful, very-much-in-heat mate was _hard._

 

“Unghh, fuck, Haru…” Rin choked out, face burying into Haruka’s neck, claws digging into that lean, beautiful back.

 

Haruka knew he wasn’t going to last long, not with the warmth of the room, not with Rin moaning and cursing beneath him, not with the overwhelming heat-scent that was so damned heavy he swore he could _taste_ it. His head was a mess, his body was a mess, his _dick_ was a mess and all he really wanted was to bite down on Rin’s neck and come hard, _so_ hard, deep inside his mate.

  
He wanted to mark Rin as _his_.

 

A minute in and he was already losing patience, thrusts growing erratic, mouth frenetically kissing Rin’s neck and jaw, over and over again as he panted for air, tonguing occasionally at one of Rin’s swollen neck glands.

 

“A-Ah! H-Haru, harder…” Rin moaned out, breaths ragged, claws digging in deep. “M-more…”

 

Haruka knew Rin was breaking his skin, but in the heat of the moment he felt nothing, adrenaline masking the scratches, his entire body focused solely on his pleasure, on Rin, on mating and claiming and _owning_ his beautiful partner.

 

“Ungh, R-Rin…” Haruka choked out, mind hazy, orgasm brimming as his words muffled into Rin’s neck. As he felt himself go over the edge he bit down, teeth digging into the soft, sensitive, pale skin, latching on as he came hard. Like a domino effect of pleasure, Rin joined him shortly thereafter, letting out a screaming yowl that only silenced when he mirrored Haruka, biting down near Haruka’s shoulder blade in a half-assed attempt at self-control.

 

For a moment they just laid together, drenched in sweat and come, teeth buried deep in one another’s neck as they heaved for breath. Rin was the first to let go, mumbling out a hasty apology, tongue lapping idly along the bite mark on Haruka's neck in an attempt at soothing.

 

Haruka blinked a few times, coming down from his high, back to reality, finally realizing he was still latched possessively onto Rin’s neck. Carefully he pulled away, running his tongue along the mark before moving upwards, tongue continuing along Rin’s cheek and temple, up to his closest ear, giving it a fond lick. Rin was drenched in sweat, face still red, hair and fur a salty mess as Haruka idly groomed him, content to bathe Rin once more.

 

“Ugh, shit, I’m sorry, Haru,” Rin grumbled irritably. “I get so… stupid in heat,” he groaned in embarrassment.

 

“Mm, you know I don’t mind, Rin,” Haruka mumbled, still idly grooming Rin’s ear and face as Rin unraveled those legs from around Haruka’s waist, letting them drop to the mattress with a thud. “Though you were right. The twins probably _did_ hear you from here.”

 

“H-Hey! You asshole,” Rin grumbled, palming at Haruka’s face. “Aren’t you ever going to pull out, perv?”

 

“Mmm, I like it here. It’s comfy,” Haruka mumbled lazily, tilting his head around Rin’s hand to return to grooming him.

 

“Well it’s not comfy for me!” Rin groused.

 

“Mm, you love it,” Haruka shrugged nonchalantly, though he listened to Rin regardless, carefully pulling himself out only to drop unceremoniously on top of Rin, continuing with his grooming extravaganza.

 

“O-Oi! I’m not your pillow, get off.”

 

“I’m lighter than you, it’s fine.”

 

“Psh, it is _not_ fine! You should be nicer to me, I’m the one in heat here...”

 

“I _was_ nice. You’ve come three times today while I’ve only come once.”

 

“ _That’s_ how you measure niceness? Coming, the new unit of measurement for nice.”

 

“…Is it a bad measurement?” Haruka asked pointedly.

 

“Well… no, not really,” Rin mumbled thoughtfully, idly turning his head to face the other direction and give Haruka access to his other ear.

 

“See? I’m nice.”

 

“Ugh, fine, what- oh my god Haru, your back!”

 

Haruka blinked lazily up at Rin, who’d given himself a view of Haruka’s back when he’d tilted his head for more grooming.

 

“Hm? Oh, that. Yeah, I won’t be able to get in the pool for a while.”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything!?”

 

“Would you _really_ have listened while in heat, Rin?”

 

“Well, no, but like… god, you could have scruffed me or something. You are _literally_ bleeding.”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

“No it’s not! I should go get you some like, antiseptic or something.”

 

“Mmm, no, don’t move. They’re my battle scars.”

 

“Battle scars? So handling me in heat is a battle, then?”

 

“Yup. I can show them off to my buddies.”

 

“I’m sure Makoto will be thrilled.”

 

“I have other friends,” Haruka shrugged, lazily running his tongue inside Rin’s ear.

 

“I’m also sure Nagisa will be thrilled.”

 

“Nagisa likes my stories.”

 

“…You tell Nagisa about us?”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

“Haru!”

 

“He’s curious.”

 

“S-So!?”

 

“He also gives me mackerel in exchange.”

 

“oh my _god_ Haru, what is wrong with you?”

 

“Mackerel’s delicious.”

 

“Mackerel sucks, and I say this as a cat.”

 

“I believe you mean ‘I say this as a mateless cat if I continue making fun of mackerel,’ actually.”

 

“Is that a threat, Nanase?”

 

“Mm, bitch it might be.”

 

“…Please stop hanging out with Nagisa without Makoto there to supervise.”

 

“You don’t get to choose my friends, dad.”

 

“…Seriously, no more bonding days with Nagisa. Ever.”  

 

“…I ran out of things he says for comebacks.”

 

“Good!” Rin laughed, fingers digging affectionately into Haruka’s hair, mussing it up, fingers scratching around one of those sleek black ears. “Thank you for taking care of me…” Rin mumbled quietly, face flushing, hands still messing with Haruka’s hair.

 

“It’s fine, Rin,” Haruka mumbled, taking a moment to plant a chaste, affectionate kiss to Rin’s temple. “You’re my mate, you know I’d do anything for you.”

 

“Ughhh, shit, stop saying things like that.”

 

“Why? It’s true.”

 

“I know just…”

 

“Are you embarrassed by that, Rin?”

 

“N-No! Just, it’s just…”

 

“Just what?”

 

“Ughh, I just… I love you too, okay?” Rin snapped, face flushing.

 

“Mmm, I know,” Haruka smiled, reaching up to gently run his fingers along the bruised bite mark on Rin’s neck.

 

“I’m just really lucky.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“Ugh, shit. You’re going to be the death of me, you know that, Haru?”

 

“Is there a better way to go?”

 

Rin paused for a moment, lost in thought, before finally, gently, twining their fingers together, dragging Haruka’s hand to his lips, giving those knuckles a light, affectionate kiss. “Not at all.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The teammate that stumbled in on them was 100% Seijuurou. 
> 
> Also, as a rabbit, Rei is 100% a biter.
> 
> PS, I swear next time I post something with smut in it Haru'll get it. I FEEL I HAVEN'T BEEN EVEN ENOUGH. I need to wave my 'team switching' flag with pride, lol.


End file.
